Tag: weight loss

While yes I did veer from the plan at times I was a lot more conscious this week of not falling off the bandwagon completely – and as I can’t have sweet things, this helped with my willpower. Sort of….

But, anyway, coming in with a loss felt really really nice. Perhaps it is the promise of Spring, perhaps I just had my head on straight, who knows but I had a loss so I am happy.

So I came in with a gain this week, which I have to admit to being rather surprised about as I was pretty good, a few hiccups along the week maybe but overall not awful, but I didn’t get overly complacent.

I can really only attribute it to the fact that I had wine, and a very nice lunch on the Sunday at some friends, and had the alcohol nibbles! But it was so lovely to spend time with these people that the syns were kind of worth it! I had a great afternoon, great time, great conversation. Just really fab.

So not the week I would have liked, but totally fixable, and I can be on plan all this week. I have a meal out tomorrow for a friends birthday, but it is Miller & Carter so absolutely options I can cope with.

I had a really motivating weigh in this week after coming in with a -4lb loss! This means that I lost all 3.5lbs of my Christmas and New Year gains, and some extra, so I am really really pleased! Of course this doesn’t mean one can get complacent, I still need to ensure that I am reaching my other monthly motivation goal – exercising at least once a week.

I am definitely being more active at work where possible – going out for at least a 20 minute stretch of the legs, which all counts as body magic. I changed jobs at the end of the last year which also meant a campus change and I just don’t find myself moving as much on the new campus – just less need to, I miss the old campus I was on, it was more buzzy, energetic and more reasons to get up and go for a walk somewhere (even if it was work related!). So I need to be consistent at it, and also ensure I am doing more exercise out of work too.

But on the whole that was a very very positive weigh in! I am pleased to have kick started off my first proper weigh in and group on that note. It does give you a good mindset and you feel more motivated to keep going. Well I do.

So I lost 1.5lbs at this weigh in, it was a day later than usual (and I am writing this so many days later after the fact!) as I had to go ice-skating with Guides and couldn’t get to the meeting and weigh in – and a weigh in is easier to rearrange! So I am pleased with that. It’s far better than a gain after all. Feeling satisfied.

You all may or may not have noticed that I have been exceptionally silent over the past 7 weeks or so, this was not by my choice, after writing my last post at the end of July I started feeling really unwell.

At first I just thought that I had caught a stomach bug and tried to carry on as normal in the first week, I went to work at first and got sent home accordingly and went to Slimming World (lost 1.5lbs whoop) but my stomach pain was getting increasingly worse and other related symptoms.

I had to cancel my Mums birthday surprise and re-arrange it for a later date in September and my pain was increasing so I went to my GP and started having tests to try and determine what was wrong, but the tests kept being delayed or going wrong with the lab (and this was a continuing frustrating theme throughout August).

I was also at the same time in this second week prepping to be a Bridesmaid for my Best Friends wedding – and despite the sheer agony and pain I was in I was determined not to miss it and I didn’t. I was taking any medication possible to curb the pain, but that also wouldn’t put me to sleep! So that was a challenge, however on the day I got ready with all the others and just tried to think of anything other than the pain so I could be there at the Church, walk down the aisle and also get up in front of everyone and do my reading. Which I did – but it exhausted me. I was lucky that it was a lovely day – but not one of the scorchers otherwise I would have felt so much worse. However I couldn’t do the rest of the day, by the time I got back to the venue I had to go to mine and C’s room and I couldn’t leave it so we had the food sent to us and I chilled there. I was gutted to miss all the celebrations in the evening but my BF totally understood and we had a few visitors in the course of the evening so it was still a lovely day – just not how I had imagined.

After this I just kept getting worse over the next couple of weeks and with delayed tests I just felt like I was going nowhere. I was struggling to eat properly. I felt nauseous all the time and weak. I had to miss a work training trip to Brussels, and also going out to the meal my Mum had planned for my Nan at Tom Kerridges pub the Hand and Flowers. So I was also feeling pretty miserable that whatever this was, was ruining my summer and plans. My Dad – who had been away and hadn’t seen me for a while was shocked at how I looked, and in late August & September it all came to a head, I had finally got referred to see Gastroenterologist, but I had started fainting so my Dad took me to A&E at the John Radcliffe and I got admitted to Hospital.

I ended up being in the Hospital for over a week, they were great and I quickly got diagnosed with a preliminary diagnosis of Ulcerative Colitis (I say preliminary but the Doctor was like 99% sure!) and started on a course of steroids to treat the inflammation and fluids for dehydration. When I left the Hospital I had to go back for a Potassium infusion as my blood tests showed it was low so I had to go through all that again before I was allowed to leave. Despite being in the Hospital so long – not my favourite place – it really helped and I started feeling so much better, my appetite came back and I just felt better and more me really.

I’ve been on rest since leaving Hospital and lots of medication of course, though I’ll be back at work next week and I am working out the details on if I will be part time for a bit – just to ease me in as I am definitely better but I still tire easily and my energy can run down quick if I over do it. Need to build stamina again. I also need to get to grips with this illness as it is a chronic illness I will have for life. I can be absolutely fine and then just relapse so need to get my brain round that. But it shouldn’t stop me having a life, doing what I want and just being me as long as I manage it properly.

You may have seen my Instagram post from Slimming World that with this illness I lost a lot of weight and went from the 2nd August (my last weigh in pre-illness) at 11st6lbs to weighing in at the hospital 9st4/5lbs. Quite a big loss. I’ve put some weight back on since as I just felt TOO skinny for me and weighed in at Slimming World as 10st 0.5lbs, which I feel more comfortable with as I want to get my muscle strength back as well and perhaps put on a couple more pounds. Either way though it meant I got a few awards and I set this as my Target weight, obviously this isn’t how I wanted to lose 20lbs (yes that much!) but I can make a positive out of it and maintain going forward – my only issue is eating fibre as this can irritate the gut but I am going to have to figure out food and what irritates me all over again and being healthy for me.

Either way I apologise for the quiet spell and for this very long update!!

While I still have a good way to go to recoup the gains I have made over the past couple of months I was very pleased to come in with a 2.5lb loss this evening. I was hoping for a loss but I just wasn’t sure at all so it felt very positive.

If I had tried harder (or been really really well behaved) I think it could have been more but I was definitely better behaved this week in terms of what I was eating and in doing more exercise and overall being more active. I just need to keep up this mentality going forward over the next few weeks, especially as that wedding and bridesmaids dress gets nearer….

Finally, in so long, had a loss. Fair enough not an amazing one but it is still a loss. I was also impressed to come in with a loss after being on holiday. I think it helped that it was a fairly active holiday overall. We went to lots of places, mooched about, walked. So yeah we weren’t idle, I was not however on my best eating behaviour… but it was a holiday so I am not going to feel bad about it.